The Human Condition
by gypsymuse
Summary: Temperance Brennan and Daisy Wick were anthropologists first and foremost; but at the end of the day, they were still only human, and with more in common than their professional pursuits. Friendship, with hints of B/B and D/S.


The Human Condition

By Gypsymuse

At first, Temperance Brennan was merely relieved that her overly-ebullient intern's behavior had been noticeably subdued since their arrival at the dig site; but as the weeks wore on and the sighs grew heavier, she was forced to conclude that something was troubling the young woman. Wishing (not for the first time) that Booth was around to guide her, she made a tentative inquiry one murky June evening. They had been in country for less than two months.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Wick?"

Startled, Daisy looked up from the pile of notes she'd been listlessly transcribing. "Oh! No, Dr. Brennan. I guess I'm just a little homesick. This is the first time I've been on a dig in a foreign country, and for such a long period of time..."

Brennan relaxed slightly, seating herself at her desk and opening up her laptop. "Of course. This is a major change, and things here are still very chaotic as we all settle into our roles and become acquainted not only with working together as a team, but also with the very different climate and culture. I'm sure that as you become more familiar and comfortable with our situation here, your feelings of displacement will abate, and your natural scholarly curiosity will take over." Pleased with this response, she nodded for emphasis before turning her attention fully to her own notes. The silence held for almost a minute.

"Dr. Brennan, may I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"When you went on your first big dig, were you homesick too?"

She paused, considering. "No, not really. But by that time, it had been years since I'd had anything like a real home."

"I don't know what that means."

"I thought sure you knew." Brennan was genuinely surprised. Secrets didn't keep well at the Jeffersonian; squints were by nature curious creatures, and the odd family dynamic that had evolved amongst them over the years all but guaranteed that anything learned by one would in short order be known to all. "My parents left when I was fifteen. I was in the foster system for several years. Foster homes and college dorms don't really count for much as 'homes.'"

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. It's not something I've deliberately kept hidden from you; it simply hasn't been relevant to our work. However, as we are working so closely on this project, it is only natural that we will come to know each other on a more personal level." This revelation brought some of Daisy's natural sunniness to the surface for the first time in days; and when she spoke again, it was with the eagerness that Brennan had long since come to expect of her.

"Oh, I'd like that! Can I tell you something now?"

"Yes, if you like."

"Right before we left, Lancelot and I broke up." Daisy's face resettled into its tragic lines, leaving Brennan a bit dazed by the speed of the transformation. She grasped blindly for a narrative thread to follow.

"Broke up? Do you mean that you cancelled your engagement?"

"He said that I shouldn't wait for him, and that he didn't think he wanted to wait for me," she sniffled.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Brennan said seriously. She pulled her chair a little closer to Daisy's and gave the girl her full attention at last. "Did you discuss this project with him, and what it would mean for your career?"

"I-I told him that I'd been accepted, and that my career was the most important thing in the world to me."

"Didn't you discuss it with him before you applied?"

"No, of course not. Why?" She stared guilelessly at her mentor, willing her to understand; and much to her own amazement, Brennan couldn't quite manage it. Slowly, she tried to explain, dimly aware of the irony of her position. She could almost hear Booth laughing as she imagined describing this situation to him.

"Because of the intimate nature of your relationship, it would be expected that you would discuss any changes that would dramatically alter that relationship-such as a lengthy separation. I-"

"Did you and Agent Booth discuss your coming here?" Wiping a stray tear, Daisy pinned her with an inquiring stare. Brennan met it and replied honestly.

"Yes, of course. We mutually agreed that my coming here and his going to Afghanistan would be beneficial to us, both as individuals in the short term and as partners in the long term. Ms. Wick? Why are you crying again?"

"That's so romantic!"

"What?"

"Oh, Dr. Brennan, don't you SEE? Agent Booth UNDERSTOOD how important this project would be for your career, just as you understood how important working in Afghanistan would be to his! OH, I'm so stupid! I thought that you were holding each other back, when all this time you were both so noble and supportive and-" Here she broke off, into a fresh torrent of tears, and the thunderstruck Brennan paused only a moment before scooting her chair even closer and pulling the weeping girl into an awkward embrace. She held her tongue and let the storm pass, aware that Daisy had only part of the story, aware that not all of her motives-or Booth's, for that matter-had been so purely noble as this idealistic young woman wanted to believe. But those were details for another time, perhaps; they still had another ten months or so ahead of them, time enough for the sharing of secrets, and the forging of bonds yet unconsidered.

When Daisy sat back, wiping her eyes on her shirtsleeve, Brennan got up and brought back a box of tissues for her. Resuming her seat, she asked kindly, "Have you corresponded with Sweets since we've been here?"

"I sent him an email telling him we'd arrived safely, and he sent one back thanking me politely for letting him know. I haven't heard anything else from him, and I-I didn't know what else to say."

"Perhaps you should send him another note. You could tell him how beautiful the scenery is here, and how exciting the project is. You could describe some of our early findings-in simple terms, of course, nothing too technical-maybe even send him a photograph. I would be happy to take one for you to send to him, if you'd like. Maybe if you just concentrate on rebuilding your friendship with Dr. Sweets, then you can rebuild your romantic relationship later on."

Now Daisy's glance was shrewd, enough so that Brennan suddenly felt acutely uncomfortable. "Is that what you're doing with Agent Booth?"

Sighing, realizing that her biggest secret was the one she'd just inadvertently revealed, Brennan nodded. "Yes, Daisy, it is."

The intern let out an ear-piercing shriek and flung herself at her startled employer. "Oh my GOD! Oh, I'm so excited that we're becoming friends! Now I have someone I can talk to about Lancelot, and YOU have someone you can talk to about Agent Booth, and-oh, since we're friends now instead of just colleagues, should I start calling you Temperance? Or Tempe? Or-"

Cutting her off before she could use _his_ name for her, Brennan shook her head, but she couldn't quite manage to subdue her smile. "Temperance will be fine in private, Daisy. But I think that on site we should remain Dr. Brennan and Ms. Wick."

Composing herself, Daisy returned to her chair. "Right you are, Dr. Brennan. Should we get back to work?"


End file.
